Shadow Rise
by Ezekiel Zeta Stigma
Summary: The 2nd great war between Earth and the PLANTS has been raging as usual. But there is a new faction. This faction is surprisingly basic, but effective and an apparent ally to not only ZAFT, but the Ark Angel as well. But what is the goal of their leader?
1. War and Games

**Cosmic Era 73**

**Present Day - Iraq**

**2 weeks before the second attack on the ****Lohengrin Gate**

The Alliance convoy didn't stand a chance. The custom made mortar shells pierced the armor like a knife through butter and the mobile suits that guarded the hovercraft were easily brought down by modified RPGs. On top of that, the "secret weapon" caused complete confusion within the Alliance ranks.

"Last one!" shouted one of the young guerillas holding an old-fashioned AK-47, "Take it down now!" A girl with an RPG fired at the last mobile suit, hitting it in the cockpit. The mobile suit fell to the ground then exploded. The guerillas slowly emerged from hiding and conducted a head count. After several minutes, someone let out a celebrative war-whoop and then soon everyone was excited. All 106 of them were alive with 26 bearing minor injuries.

"You guys are amazing…and absolutely pathetic!"

The cheering stopped as they all looked at their leader, garbed all in black and wearing a mask.

"Master…what do you mean?"

"Yeah, look, we defeated them all!"

"Correct," the Master replied, "but that is no reason to celebrate." He walked over to one of the wrecked mobile suits and pushed open the cockpit hatch. Inside was the pilot, bleeding and beyond recognition. "This man risked his life for an ideal that he believed to be right. If you all think war is just fun and games, leave and never return. Because death is nothing to celebrate. Understand?" All the guerillas looked at each other in a stunned silence. One of the girls, young and blind in one eye, approached the Master and cautiously touched his arm.

"I'm sorry Master, we all are. But we all made a decision to pledge ourselves to you. We all believe in you. None of us are perfect, but we are anxious to learn from you. So please, let us stay with you until this is all over." The Master turned his head to look at the girl, his expression hidden behind his mask. All the others were standing still, but the Master could tell from their eyes that the majority understood what he said. He sighed, placing a hand on the girl's head.

"Very well, but only under one last condition." Everyone suddenly looked to each other; he always asked the hardest things of them, this was probably going to be the hardest request yet-

"Don't call me Master anymore." Everyone gasped, mostly out of relief.

"But Ma-I mean sir, what do we call you then?" asked the kid with the AK. At this, the Master slowly began discarding the heavy layers of clothing. When he was done, he was left with black boots, black pants, black shirt, a black harness that held his sword on his back, and the white and black mask hiding his face but revealing his brown hair. Slowly, he took off his mask to reveal a Caucasian face and hazel eyes.

"I am Saint Shadow Zealot, the guardian of you all, and the leader of this newly formed Trench Nation."

**Ladonia**

**Blue Cosmos Lab**

"Year 64, July; eleven discarded, three admitted." Everyone in the office was on edge. Shin Auska and Athrun Zala were looking through files of extremely complex scientific formulas, Arthur Trine was examining what appeared to be actual human brains in glass containers, and Captain Talia Gladys was browsing through some computer files. "August; seven discarded, five admitted."

"Captain, what is that?" Arthur asked reluctantly.

"This…is a record…of the arrival and departure of test subjects, in other words children." She paused and brought up a list of profiles, which included combat records and mobile suit data. "They are the Alliance's Extendeds. I'm sure you've heard of them. Even though they detest genetic manipulation, the Alliance and Blue Cosmos are not below using drugs and other means to enhance the human body. Extendeds were exposed to such methods so they would be able to compete with Coordinators. After these procedures, they were put through the most rigorous training imaginable. Those who weren't competitive enough, or were unable to keep up with the rest, were discarded mercilessly."

"This is…the Alliance's Experimental Production Facility."

**TNMF-Carrier "Moses"**

**4 miles northwest of the lab**

"Eagle-3 just reported in sir," a kid in his early teens and wearing a trench coat as a uniform approached the leader sitting in the command chair on the bridge. "He says the Gaia just launched from the John Paul Jones."

"Excellent," the leader replied. He turned to another kid in a trench coat uniform. "What is the condition of those we were able to rescue?"

"Those four who were injured are still recovering and the rest are doing okay."

"What about _that _one?"

"We still have him restrained."

"Good," the leader replied before standing up. "Have the Moses remain in position and cloaked. Prepare the Aaron for departure as soon as I get to the hanger."

"What are you going to do?" asked a teenage girl at one of the computers.

"I'm going to introduce myself to the crew of the Minerva…and their soon-to-be new recruit."

**Ladonia Lab, 13 minutes later**

"Captain," spoke an officer over the radio. Everyone was outside while the clean-up crew carried out scaffold after scaffold of the deceased. Captain Gladys responded just as Arthur vomited at the sight of another dead child.

"What is it?"

"We picked up an enemy mobile suit ma'am, it's the Gaia."

"Just one? What on Earth are they thinking? Athrun! Shin! Head out and defend the site!"

"Yes ma'am," they replied in unison, already in their Gundams. The Impulse and the Savior took off.

They soon caught up to the Gaia and engaged. The Gaia, while in it's (I don't know what the official name is, sorry) Prowl Form, leapt up and tried to cut the Impulse in half. Shin blocked the attack with his shield.

"Be careful Shin," Athrun warned, "if it was sent to destroy the lab, it could be carrying extra equipment." Then added with an after-thought, "Defeat it without blowing it up."

"What?" Shin dodged another attack. "Not blow it up! But how?"

"Try flanking it from below."

"That's what I'm doing!" Shin argued as he fired his gun at the Gaia. The Gaia dodged and tried to cut the Impulse in half again. This time the Savior came down and cut off the beam sabers on its back. A small distance away, a small black shuttle, the Aaron, hovered just above the tree line.

"I thought you said it was essential that the Gaia's pilot come out of this alive?" asked yet another kid in a trench coat.

"It is," their leader answered as the fight progressed. "But if we interfere, then she might end up dead. Besides, she isn't going to be killed in this fight."

"How do you know that?"

"Well," he took one last look at the fight, smiled, then pointed. "See for yourself in five, four…"

The Gaia (in mobile suit mode) lost its shield as the Savior shot it off its left arm.

"…three…"

"Now Shin!" Athrun yelled.

"…two…"

Shin roared as the Impulse brought up its beam saber.

"…one!"

The saber cut through the outer layer of the Gaia with ease. The Gaia then fell and skidded across the ground as trees were uprooted or knocked over.

"Set the Aaron down and keep it cloaked," the leader ordered.

"Yes Master, right away." A few of the other soldiers winced as the leader gave a forced cough. "Uh…sorry, I mean…Saint." The leader, Saint Shadow Zealot, smiled and turned to disembark.

Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Destiny

**Shadow Rise**


	2. Enter the Saint

["Pride" – High and Mighty Color (show version)]

_The fleetingly scattered light_

_Wakes us up now_

_The sadness makes a sound_

_And disappears from that place…_

_Let's go, wake up to go, to the future that we don't know_

_Insecurity plus pride fly in my heart_

**-Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Destiny-**

_**Shadow Rise**_

* * *

><p><strong>Minerva<strong>

**Captain's Quarters**

Talia Gladys gave a frustrated sigh. In front of her, Shinn Auska stood at attention. He had just taken the Gaia's pilot on board the Minerva and placed her in the medical wing. While there, the girl went berserk before Shinn managed to calm her down. Talia had to admit, he handled her pretty well for being a mobile suit pilot and not a doctor.

"I understand that you known this girl. Well, where did you meet her?"

"Off the coast of Diocia," Shinn answered. "She was drowning, and I saved her. It was a little hard to understand her at first. You see…at the time, I thought that she was a traumatized war victim."

"But really, she was piloting the Gaia this whole time. And maybe, she might-" Her intercom beeped and Talia activated the link. "What is it?"

"We have a visitor Captain."

"What?"

"A kid wearing all black approached us and requested to see you ma'am."

"Did he have any identification?"

"No."

"Was he armed?"

"Yes, but he surrendered his weapons when prompted without incident."

"I see; did you at least get a name?"

"He called himself Saint Shadow Zealot. And he also says that he is an expert on Extended research and trauma psychology."

"He said that?" she asked, now surprised.

"Yes ma'am."

"Then lead him to the medical wing. I'll meet him there." She stood up after deactivating the intercom. "Come along Shinn, I'm guessing you need to meet this person as well." Shinn stood and walked with her out of the office and into the medical wing. There, Shinn let out a gasp and looked in anger at the doctor.

"What do you think you're doing? She's injured for God's sake!" Stella had been strapped down to the medical bed. "I know she was a little hysterical at first but-"

"That is not the issue here," the doctor replied. "It just so happens," he looked at the unconscious girl, "she is one of the Alliance's Extendeds."

"What?" Shinn gasped.

"I thought so," Gladys said solemnly.

"No surprises there," spoke someone from the entrance of the medical wing. Everyone turned to see a kid garbed in a trench coat, shirt, cargo pants, hard toe boots, and a weapon harness that were all colored black. The kid was pale with untidy brown hair and cautious hazel eyes. Across his left cheek was a black tattoo in what appeared to be...what was that kind of writing called again...Shinn saw it almost all the time when he was on orb. Oh, Kanji, that was it, now if only he could read it. The kid walked in, taking off his coat and draping it over the back of a chair. "Saint Shadow Zealot, at your service," he introduced himself with a bow.

"Did Command send you?" Gladys asked. This made the new guy laugh.

"Ha ha ha, heck no! I came here on my own authority. My subordinates are the ones who are sent this way and that."

"Your subordinates?"

"Later, later. Now let's see to the Extended shall we?" He rolled a chair over and sat down next to Stella's bed. "Oh, you got this one?"

"You know her?" Gladys asked, casting a cautious glance at Shinn, just in case he reacted somehow.

"Stella Loussier. Background: unknown. Nationality: unknown. Current position: member of the Phantom Pain Mobile Unit under Neo Roanoke."

"So Phantom Pain is the military unit responsible for the theft?"

"Correct. But please note that we are talking about Extendeds. Stella is a berserker type. Highly unstable, with a bi-polar personality."

"Berserker type?"

"Yes. Berserker types act like normal soldiers most of the time. However, if there was a trigger, maybe a certain smell or sound, a word or phrase that causes the said Berserker to…well…go berserk."

"Die," Shinn said to himself.

"Pardon?"

"In Diocia, when I first met Stella, I mentioned the word 'die.' After which she became distraught."

"Be lucky you were not fighting her then," Shadow said, taking a pair of rectangular spectacles from his pocket and putting them on. "Otherwise she would've killed you. Which reminds me; when she wakes up, don't talk to her. At least, not yet. She will no doubt be confused. Also, I'm no expert on the Earth Alliance, but considering that they believe that certain memories and emotions could make soldiers weak, I wouldn't rule out the possibility of mind manipulation."

"That should be a solid fact," the doctor said. "Her brainwave patterns are highly irregular."

"In that case, it is a fact." Stella moaned and slowly opened her eyes. "Stella Loussier?" She turned her head slightly toward Shadow. "How are you feeling?" Her eyes quickly took in the room. "Don't worry," Shadow soothed, "you're among friends here." Stella seemed to relax, but her eyes continued to take in her surroundings.

"Where am I?" She asked, softly.

"You're in the medical wing of the Minerva." She stiffened at the mention of the name of the ship.

"And who are you? ZAFT?"

"Me? No I am not. The others are though. They don't want anything, they just got the Gaia back so now they are just standing around like mindless drones while I do all the talking."

"You do realize we're listening right?" Gladys asked, eyes narrowed in annoyance.

"My point exactly," Shadow responded with a grin. He turned his attention back to Stella. "Someone I think you should meet though." He looked up and beckoned Shinn over. "This is Shinn." Shinn slowly walked over as Stella turned her head to look at him.

"Hey Stella, are you feeling alright?" he asked, calm but nervous.

"My head aches a little," she weakly admitted, then asked, "What are you going to do to me?"

"We're not going to do anything to you," he assured her. "We're going to protect you."

When she heard him say the word: "protect," her eyes widened and a series of images flashed through her mind.

"_Are you trying to die you twit?"_

"…_I know…you're not gonna die…I swear I'll protect you."_

"…_something terrible must have happened to you too."_

"_My name is Shinn…"_

"_I mean it…we'll meet again!"_

"Sh-Shinn…Shinn Auska?" she asked slowly. Shinn's eyes widened in delight (and a large amount of relief) and knelt down next to her so his arms rested on the side of the cot.

"You…remember me, Stella?" She slowly nodded, tears beginning to crawl down her face. Out of her range of vision, Shadow looked at the others in the room and pressed a finger to his lips.

_Not bad Shinn,_ Shadow thought, _you're quite a natural when it comes to empathy. I wonder why._


	3. The Trench Nation

Gundam SEED Destiny

**Blue Cosmos Ladonia Lab**

**Minerva**

"So your organization came here to rescue some of the Extendeds?"

Talia Gladys, Shin, Athrun, and Saint Shadow Zealot were in the captain's quarters. Everyone was sitting down except for Shadow, who nodded in response to Talia's question.

"Correct. We originally came here to snatch those who were scheduled for disposal, but something went wrong within the facility. An accident of some sort, I don't know. Whatever the case, we were forced to take drastic measures so our business there wasn't a complete waste of time. We managed to grab 23 female and 4 male subjects."

"What happened during your escape?" asked Athrun. "We didn't find any evidence of fighting _outside_ of the facility."

"That's because all the lab coats and security goons were _inside_, trying to contain the situation by trying to blow up the place. Needless to say, I think we succeeded in preventing that from happening."

"That aside, what do you even call yourselves?" Talia asked, a sharp edge to her voice emphasizing a "straight-to-business" attitude.

"Our identity is that of the Trench Nation, an independent military faction with a positive outlook on the neutral nations as well as those who are sick and tired of this folly of a war."

"Does that mean you support Orb?" Athrun asked, his interest piqued.

"Kind of."

"What do you mean by that?"

"The previous administration and the rule under Cagali Yula Atha, and not the current idiocracy under the Seirans. On top of that, I personally wish for the destruction of the Blue Cosmos and Logos under Lord Djibril."

"What?" All the ZAFT officers nearly stood at the mention of the name of maybe the worst person in the history of man.

"You know who leads Logos!" Shin shouted at the self-named Saint.

"You didn't know?" Shadow asked in apparent disbelief, "I figured since Athrun Zala and a few other members of the Le Creseut team knew that Earth Alliance Defense Director Muruta Azrael used to be the leader of both then ZAFT would've been able to connect the dots."

"Azrael was in charge of Logos as well?" Athrun asked, slightly shocked.

"If he wasn't a leader then he was a well-acquainted affiliate. But never mind that," he turned his attention back to Talia, "I need permission to land my forces here." Talia blinked in surprise before pursing her lips in thought

"Umm…well, I suppose it isn't too much to ask for. How many of you are there?"

"I'm not at liberty to supply you with the number of personnel we have. But we do have one ship, six aircraft, one mobile suit, and a lot of guns and secondary vehicles." Talia sighed.

"Very well, land your carrier alongside the Minerva." Shadow then bowed, turned on his heel, and left the room. Continuing down the hallway, Shadow kept his eyes roving every inch of the corridor. He didn't have a photographic memory, but he did have a _good_ memory. He had a habit of remembering things that most others regarded as insignificant until the situation calls for it. History he remembered more than anything. Although it was hard to keep track of everything due to historians arguing their points of view to fit their own ideological beliefs.

History is written by the victors. Whoever first said that deserves to be hung, shot, stabbed, drawn-and-quartered, and buried in soft peat for three years and recycled as kerosene.

He stopped walking.

"I know you're there." He turned around to see Lunamaria Hawke stepping cautiously out of another corridor. "Oh, it is you."

"And just what do you mean by that?" Lunamaria demanded, her mind drawing a blank between confusion and nervousness. Shadow leaned against the wall and held out a hand.

"The spy footage of Athrun in Greece, hand it over."

"What?" Her eyes grew wide in astonishment. "But, you weren't even there! How do you know about that!"

"Matters not, all that does matter is the video footage and sound recording. Besides, if you keep such a treasure to yourself, then this war will no doubt continue, in more ways then one." Lunamaria hesitated before reaching into her pocket and gingerly revealing the data disk. Shadow held out his hand for it, but as it came into contact with his outstretched hand, he held his other hand over it and briefly closed his eyes. Blue lines seemed to stream over the backside of Shadow's hand, like electricity through a circuit. Lunamaria, blinked twice in confusion before Shadow opened his eyes, and took the disc in both his hands. "How ironic," he said, turning on his heel and resuming his walk out, "to think something this small almost made humanity exterminate itself in the last war." Lunamaria just looked on.

**Minerva Medical Wing**

Shin knelt at the side of Stella's bed, memorizing every curve in her face, every strand of hair, every detail of her face. She was safe, Shin thought to himself, she is here and she is safe.

"It makes sense, actually." Shin looked over his shoulder to see that Athrun had quietly entered and had taken a seat by the door.

"What makes sense?"

"Back at Arsenal 1, I thought I saw her and her two friends at the space port."

"Really?"

"Yeah, and I'm still surprised that the pilot of the Gaia is now right here on the Minerva." He placed a hand to his forehead. "It's just like the last war all over again, just not for me."

"What do you mean?" Athrun avoided Shin's gaze, looking down at the floor.

"When I was a member of the Le Creseut Team, we infiltrated Heliopolis to seize the top secret mobile suits that Morgenrate developed in secret. We grabbed the Aegis, Dual, Buster, and Blitz; but we failed to steal the Strike. We ended up fighting the Strike and legged-Archangel all the way from Heliopolis to Alaska. However, the one who piloted the Strike was a very dear friend of mine. His name is Kira Yamato. You just met him too, come to think of it."

"I met him? When?"

"The entire fighting force of the Minerva met him. He is the pilot of the Freedom." Shin's eyes widened, the Freedom's pilot?

"Then, he's the one who disabled Heine's GOUF!" Athrun laughed.

"Yeah, he's like that. After we nearly killed each other, Kira decided that his enemy was neither the PLANTS or the Earth Alliance. He never liked the idea of killing to begin with. So, he made up his mind to fight without killing as long as it was possible. He would no doubt sacrifice himself to in order to protect the Archangel." He moved his gaze back to Shin. "But you on the other hand, you had to fight her," he gestured to Stella, "and now it appears that you've made a friend that will need a lot of care and protection." He then blinked, looked away for a moment, then started laughing again.

"What's so funny?"

"You met her after falling into the ocean right?"

"Yeah, so?"

"Ha, ha, ha; it's just like when I met Cagalli!" This made Shin blink in astonishment.

"No way."

"Way."

"How on Earth did that happen?"

"Well, it's a long story…


	4. Two Missions Complete

**Ladonia Lab**

All the ZAFT soldiers stood either at combat readiness or at least close to their firearms. In the sky, and slowly descending until it landed, was a carrier that was near the same size as the Minerva, if slightly smaller. It was black and grey with a bright white insignia on each side in several locations. It had three forward cannons, one rear gun, two launch decks, and seven or eight possible locations for hidden anti-infantry/anti-aircraft gatling guns. It probably also had several other weapons and devices hidden here and there, but any of said weapons and devices were well-hidden. The noise of the engines died down and some doors opened to allow the members of the "Trench Nation" to exit the ship.

The members were all surprisingly young. In addition, there seemed to be a healthy mix of Naturals and Coordinators. There didn't seem to be a standard issue uniform either. They all wore some kind of trench coat, but apart from that, everyone dressed how they liked. They all carried various weapons as well. Nothing about them seemed uniform. Three of the emerging crowd came ahead of the others and met up with Saint Shadow Zealot. They saluted Saint and then the one in the center spoke up.

"Everyone is accounted for Saint."

"Good," Saint replied, "what about the Extendeds?"

"We still have that wild one locked down, but the rest are alright. The injured are currently being treated."

"Excellent, and the Double-Vision task force?" He addressed this question to the girl on the right.

"They are in position and ready to move out," she replied with a nod.

"And the package?"

"In place and hidden."

"Very good," he then handed something to the young man on the left. "Make sure this is in a secure place."

"Yes sir," the kid acknowledged before saluting again and starting off back to the ship. By now the other members of the Trench Nation members have gathered into a crowd around Saint and the two other "lieutenants." Saint turned his attention to the crowd and simply asked: "Well?"

"Master Saint," said a young woman, hand raised as though she was still in school. "We've accomplished another mission, and this one had to do with saving life than taking it away. Have we done what was necessary?" At this Saint Zealot threw his head back and laughed.

"Yes Ellie, yes all of you! You have all done well!" Then he gave of a sigh before continuing. "Break out the party boxes, it has been over a month, you all deserve a dignified breather." The members of the trench nation cheered with approval, most of them rushed to put their weapons away, though a few simply looked for the nearest vantage point and perched.

Cautious but carefree, Captain Gladys thought. Just who is this Saint Zealot? She was then approached by Zealot and two of the three soldiers he was talking to earlier.

"Captain Gladys, these are two of the Trench Trinity; my second-in-command if you like. The lad is code named Aiber." The young man with a face covered Middle-Eastern style with a handkerchief and an all white outfit beneath his trench coat, placed an open hand and a fist together and bowed his head. "And the girl we call IreWind." The girl with long lengths of curly red hair bowed low with a curtsy. Gladys saluted and then addressed the Saint.

"You do know I have to report this in to command, right?"

"If you must, just be sure you do it over a secure channel, I don't want to be exposed to the Alliance just yet."

"I understand," said Gladys, giving a salute and walking off.

Saint Shadow Zealot cast his gaze to the sky as dawn broke.

Things were just getting started, and the Universal Revolution is just about to break.

* * *

><p><strong>Space Port<br>ZAFT Territory**

A young girl with a camera equipped with a telephoto lens observed the main entrance of the Space Port. A black limousine drove up to the curb and three of the occupants got out. The girl keyed in her radio. "She's here, Saint's intel was right."

"Roger," came the reply, "keep an eye our for the other one."

"Yes sir, and please be careful." She registered a sort of chuckle from her ear piece.

"You worry too much."

* * *

><p>"Welcome Miss Clyne," greeted a ZAFT officer, "we're pleased to have you here today."<p>

"You're too kind," said Lacus Clyne, returning the officer's salute with a cheerful smile. She was about to say something else but her manager with a huge head of hair and round, dark spectacles abruptly stepped between her and the officer.

"I'm sorry but we need to get moving. We were just called and there have been some scheduled changes so would you be so kind as to having our flight fly as soon as it's ready quickly like."

"Oh, well sir you have arrived early. We were-"

"We were early because we are in a hurry!" the manager cut the officer off. The officer then gave a hesitant salute.

"Yes sir, I'll see what I can do."

* * *

><p>Four figures strode down an empty corridor, their hard-toe boots making dull thuds in almost perfect unison.<p>

"So how are we supposed to know if the right one shows up?"

"Hell, I don't know."

"Well didn't Master say something?"

"Well...he said, and I quote: 'It would either be the slip of a tongue, or something equally obvious. If anything, just keep your ears open. Chances are he will say so himself."

"That's it?"

"Yeah."

"What the heck is that supposed to mean?"

"I don't know, but whatever the case we still have a mission to complete, so lets hurry."

* * *

><p>The girl with the telephoto camera snapped a series of pictures of a second limousine. Its occupants also got out and went inside.<p>

"Well...that's that, now to just sit and wait."

* * *

><p>In the cockpit of a passenger shuttle, the pilots fell to the floor after being knocked out. Lacus had her eyes shut and hands pressed together as Andrew Waltfeld removed his disguise, chuckling lightly.<p>

* * *

><p>A different Lacus lead the way, running down the corridor with two of her managers. They rushed past the ZAFT officer that had talked to "a Lacus" earlier and just couldn't believe his eyes to see another one. They burst through the doors to the control room and the head manager shouted out: "Stop that shuttle! She's the real one." The Lacus and the other manager gave surprised looks at the first one who realized his mistake within a split-second. "I mean-"<p>

Four kids in trench coats, three boys and one girl, pulled out guns and shut the doors of the control room, sealing everyone inside.

"Well what do you know," one of the boys said, holding an uzi, "He said so himself, just like Master said."

"What's going on here?" the now nervous manager asked, wondering why no one else in the room was doing anything to help them escape from these juvenile terrorists.

"Meer Campbell," announced a boy holding a UMP45, "you are hereby under arrest by the authority of the Trench Nation Military Forces."

"Hereby charged with:" continued the third boy, "fraud, identity theft, mis-appropriation of government funds, and theft of military property."

"And let's not forget," the girl with a shotgun finished off with, "accessory to murder, conspiracy to commit murder, attempted murder, vandalism, and wearing the wrong high heels for that dress." This made everyone momentarily stare at the girl in confusion before the Lacus spoke up.

"Wha-what are you talking about? My name is Lac-"

"Your name IS lacking, lacking in identity," the first boy snapped. "We know everything Meer; the surgery, the mannerisms, all the time you wasted trying to get close to the ZAFT pilot Zala, the attacks in Orb, everything."

"What attacks?" Meer almost screamed, not believing what she was hearing.

"You heard us," the girl replied. The boy with the UMP backed up until he reached some communication controls and pressed a button.

"You alright up there Tiger?" the kid asked. A scratchy voice came in over some of the speakers, laughing.

"Whoever you guys are, you're life-savers. Thanks a lot, we needed that." The kid then turned his full attention to the radio.

"It's our honor sir. Also, our leader instructed us to leave a package with you. It should be under the pilot's seat."

"The manila envelope?"

"Yes sir, it is to make its way straight to Chairman Durandal without fail."

"Understood, thanks again...whoever you are."

"My name's Turk, but you're welcome. The Trench Nation is always on the side of peace."


	5. Two Paths Taken

**Ladonia Lab**

The separate crews of the Minerva and the Trench Nation's Moses were quick to become acquainted. The ZAFT soldiers were more or less glad to be lent a hand by those who were both truly unique and casually combat ready.

"So how long have you been a member of the Trench Nation?" Yolan Kent asked a TN member with vibrant red hair and blue tattoos on his neck.  
>"For about 7 months, most of us have been around for 5 months at the very least. The Trinity members have all been active for almost a year."<br>"How long have you been fighting?"  
>"Seven months."<br>"What kind of guy is this Saint Shadow Zealot?" asked Vino Dupree while helping a female TN member with a black turtle-neck sweater, black knit-cap, and a black scarf wrapped around her mouth and nose as a mask.  
>"He is confusing, but inspiring. Before we got involved with investigating Blue Cosmos, we would call him Master since he didn't give us a name. But now we call him either Saint Zealot or Shadow because he doesn't want us to call him master anymore."<br>"Is he a good leader?"  
>"Yes, easily one of the best. He actually saved my life at one point, and I am forever grateful for that. He has seen the horrors of war first-hand and knows what we have to deal with. And he would never send us somewhere he wouldn't go himself."<br>"Wow, I'm impressed just listening."

On the bridge of the Minerva, Gladys waited patiently as Shadow Zealot casually strode in.

"Finished with your phone call?" she asked, annoyed that he left the bridge because his cell phone rang.

"Yes I am, now to business. I'm guessing that the big guys back in the PLANTs would want to get their hands on a couple of 'live' Extendeds for research purposes."

"Again, you are correct. Concerning the fact that we might have to fight them in the future, the brass believe it is crucial to get as much information as possible."

"Of course," he then pulled a list from an inside pocket of his coat. "In that case, here's a list of Extendeds that we deemed fit for research purposes. Take your pick just as long as you take the one at the top with you." Gladys took the list and skimmed through the first couple of names. She frowned at the first one on the list.

"Should I ask why the first on the list is called: Wild Zero?"

"Considering that he already nearly killed one of us, injured four others, is extremely uncooperative, and we would very much like to get rid of him...do you really have to ask?" Well that's just great, thought Gladys, he probably intends to keep the more cooperative Extendeds for his "Trench Nation," while giving us the ones who are giving him a hard time. She gave a dismal sigh.

"Well, thanks for your help at any rate. Did you look at another one of our pilots by any chance?"

"Shinn?"

"No, Rey Za Burrel. He had some sort of reaction inside the facility and we have no idea as to why it happened."

"Oh him, yeah I have no idea what to make of it either. As far as I can tell, he's fine."

"I see...well I have yet to send that report, do you want me to post anything to the Chairman directly?" The Saint waved a dismissive hand.

"Don't bother, he will no doubt hear from us soon anyway."

"What do you mean by that?"

"We sent him a message, should be in space right about now."

**space, en route to the PLANTS**

"Well this went a lot smoother than expected." Andrew Waltfield looked over at Lacus Clyne (the real one) and smiled. "You hanging in there Lacus?" She nodded quickly, most of her attention focused on the Pink Haro in her lap. Andrew looked back over the controls. He thought back to that "Turk" character back at the space port. He and his group were quite handy. In addition, the phony Lacus is now out of the way for the time being. They also seemed to know about the attack in Orb as well.

"Sir, incoming transmission." Waltfield turned his attention to the communications.

"Attention shuttle crew, this is the ZAFT ship Regulus. Former Commander Waltfield, do you copy?" This caught Waltfield by surprise. How did they know he was flying the shuttle?

"Message received Regulus," he replied hesitantly. "um...go ahead."

"Under the direct order of Chairman Durandal, you are to be escorted to the flight's predtermined destination of Aprilius One. From there you are to be brought in secret to Chairman Durandal's office. Understood?"

"Yes," said Waltfield, "understood. Are we under arrest?"

"Negative. The Chairman has seen to it that any involved with this incident are not to be placed before any judgement until he gets the chance to talk with you personally." Waltfield breathed out in relief.

"Understood, thank you Regulus, Waltfield out." He turned to look at Lacus. "I think we can consider this to be a good omen my dear." Lacus nodded.

"It is indeed."


	6. A Crossroad of Sorts

**Ladonia**

"So when are your people going to be ready to leave?" Saint Shadow Zealot looked at Captain Gladys as the sun approached noon.

"Oh, right, you grunts always have a schedule to keep; I've forgotten." Gladys frowned at his response.

"Are you saying that you 'soldiers' just do as you please."

"Of course not, but this is a new situation for us. By the way, shouldn't you be more concerned with the young lady in the medical bay?"

"We can't do anything about Miss Lousie here. But we can help her once we get to Gibraltar"

"Past Crete."

"Huh?" Shadow's face suddenly showed signs of darkness. It was true, the island of Crete was between them and Gibraltar, but what made Zealot so nervous. The Saint shook his head.

"It won't do," he said suddenly, shocking Gladys even further, "Have Shinn and Athrun meet me in the medical bay. There's something I would like to discuss."

**Aprilius One**

"A pleasure to finally meet you Miss Clyne." Lacus Clyne bowed her head toward a welcoming and friendly Chairman Durandal. Andrew Waltfeld stood nearby, saluting when Durandal noticed him. Durandal nodded his head in acknowledgement to the former ZAFT Commander before insisting that they both sit down.

"I have one real question for you Chairman Durandal," said Lacus as she sat in front of the chairman's desk. "Why did you go and get a stand-in to take my place?" Durandal sighed and took his place in the chair behind his desk.

"Because we had no idea where you were. I needed Lacus Clyne here to comfort the people and to keep them calm. You should've seen everyone when the Alliance tried to finish us off with nuclear weapons right from the get-go. Sufice to say Miss Campbell did her job well in calming everyone down."

"Is that all?"

"In addition to giving us time in order to find you, yes." Lacus tilted her head in thought as the chairman continued. "I understand if you took any offense to my actions, and truth-be-told I don't have a valid excuse for this."

"I accept your apology, however the problem is that it just seemed too convenient for my fake." This made Durandal adopt a look of confusion.

"What do you mean by that?"

"When I was in Orb, me and my friends were attacked by Coordinators."

"What?" Durandal wasn't _shocked_ per say, but he was definitely surprised. After digesting what he just heard, he made a glance toward Waltfeld.

"It's true chairman, they were utilizing prototype UMF/SSO-3 ASH mobile suits after their initial assault failed. If it wasn't for the timely arrival of the Freedom then we would've all been killed." Durandal leaned back in his chair, his face now bearing a look of disbelief.

"I... I truly don't know what to say."

"So you didn't order the attack?" inqiured Lacus. Durandal shook his head.

"No, I did not. Furthermore, with all the bustling around weapon facilities nowadays, it would be almost impossible to identify who took the prototypes. I must apologize again, not knowing about this when I most likely should have." He bowed his head and Lacus responded to the gesture in kind.

"Apology accepted, and I pray that whoever was responsible will soon face judgement." She then turned to Waltfeld and he nodded, approaching the chairman's desk and placing a manilla envelope on it. "Also, we found this on the shuttle we took on our way to the PLANTs and were told by an unknown to give it to you. We don't know it's contents." Durandal nodded and broke the seal, withdrawing a flat recording device and some papers. He placed the recording device in his hands and turned it over a few times before addressing Lacus for the last time.

"These are truly strange times for us, thank you again. Should I have lodging set up for you or will you be on your way?"

"Not immediately," said Lacus, her expression becoming more cheerful, "after all, I have absolute faith in the one who protects my friends."

**Minerva,  
><strong>**Medical Bay**

Athrun and Shinn strode in to see Shadow standing by Stella and the Captain and Arthur sat on seats against the wall.

"You wanted to speak to us Saint Zealot?" Athrun asked.

"Yes," stated the Saint, taking a seat across from the Captain. "Under the current circumstances, unless we get Stella medical attention, and fast, her condition will steadily worsen until she…yeah, I'm gonna leave that last word out."

"But Gibraltar has all the necessary equipment right?" asked Shinn.

"And the equipment can't be used if we can't make it there in time!" Shadow snapped.

"What!" Everyone was at full attention now.

"What are you talking about," questioned Captain Gladys, "we shouldn't have very many problems in the crossing. All that we have to worry about is that joint Federation-Orb fleet."

"I know, but take my word for it when I say that we will all be in a major world of hurt when we pass by Crete."

"Why are you afraid of Crete?" inquired the Captain. Saint Zealot violently shook his head.

"Never mind why, what matters is that we have two options if you people want Stella alive. The first is to eventually break through the fleet which we will no-doubt encounter at Crete. And the other is more of a risky alternative."

"What's this alternative?" asked Shinn.

"Well, instead of making a be-line through the Mediterranean, I take Shinn and Stella in the opposite direction to the ruined state of Jeruselam, where the Trench Nation have a strong presence."

"What's in Jerusalem?" At this, Shadow grinned, as though he had possession of something that no one else had.

"We have Bethesda."


End file.
